Asked about the issue by ZDNet, Google confirmed on Wednesday the bankruptcy filing of its Russian branch following the seizure of its assets by the Kremlin. The management of the American giant, however, will continue to provide free services such as Search, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Android and Play to users based in Russia.
With the closure of the Russian office, Google is also transferring its Russian-based employees elsewhere, reports the wall street journal. “The seizure of Google Russia’s bank account by Russian authorities has made it impossible to operate our office in Russia, including hiring and paying employees based in Russia, paying suppliers and vendors, and complying with ‘other financial obligations,’ a Google spokesperson said in a statement emailed to ZDNet.
Google previously announced it was pausing the vast majority of its business operations in Russia, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The company also stopped selling advertising and cloud computing services in Russia, while YouTube blocked access to channels broadly associated with Russian state-funded media over their coverage of the invasion.
Russia’s military actions have put the country at odds with a number of social media platforms and other tech companies, with both sides in the conflict seeking to influence its course by controlling the internet.
Source: ZDNet.com